Between a Rock and a Hard Place
by Josephine Rayne
Summary: Jamie's life is drastically changed after a car accident....COMPLETED!
1. The Path Has Been Altered

Disclaimer: I don't own In A Heartbeat  
  
Between a Rock and a Hard Place  
  
Ch. 1- The Path Has Been Altered   
  
The trees and hoses speed by fast, maybe to fast. But, Jamie didn't care, he was late- again. That meant another detention, another call home. Usually he won't have cared, but, his sister Megan and her husband Paul were beginning to get on his case about school.   
  
"Damn." he said as the tires slipped in every direction on the slippery road. He tried not to panic, trying to keep handle of the motorcycle, but it was too late, he had already lost control.   
  
The vehicle slid once more, this time hurling itself into the oncoming blue Honda, the driver panicking at the sight, didn't have time to swerve. It probably wouldn't have helped anyway. The two vehicles collided, at full force, creating chaos in its path.  
  
*~*  
"Help, please someone." Megan Waite Powell called, racing from one nurse's station to the next, hoping for someone to tell her what was going on. "I'm looking for my brother, he was in a car accident."  
  
"Come down, miss. I'll find a doctor for you. Just sit over there in chairs." the nurse replied scurrying behind the double doors.   
  
Megan sat filled with dread. No she told herself, Jamie was fine. A few cuts and bruises and he'll be ok. Still, she brushed the tears from her face.  
  
She thought of when she was twenty and Jamie had been ten. Their other brother Peter had been fourteen at the time. She'd have to call Peter she reminded her self. Anyway, it was then that their parents had died, ironically in a car crash. Megan had been on a full scholarship at college, had a steady job that allowed her to have here own apartment. She had just married as well, to Paul Powell. Ten year old Jamie and Fourteen year old Peter had had no where else to go and became she and Paul became their legal guardian; and they came to live with her. Two years later they moved to Kingsport.   
  
"Are you looking for James Waite?" a doctor replied before her.  
  
"Yes." Megan replied standing suddenly, eyeing the man.  
  
"Are you family?"  
  
"Yes, I'm his sister, and legal guardian." She stated, then getting anxious and annoyed. "Please doctor, is he alright?"   
  
"It was an extremely serious accident, he has numerous bruises, scrapes as well as severe internal injuries and a fractured leg. He's in surgery right now. The most important thing is that he may have sustained a brain injury. "  
  
Megan nodded. "But, he's alright? We'll I mean -I know he's not alright, but he will be?"   
  
"Miss- um- I didn't catch your name."  
  
"Oh right." she dismissed with a wave of the hand. "Megan Powell."  
  
"Mrs. Powell, I'm not going to lie to you, your brother may not make it."  
  
She gasped. This couldn't be happening to Jamie. He was just a kid, he had plenty of life before her. He'd just been being to do well, the EMT squad had helped him tremendously - Oh God, it wasn't fair. He had to be alright.   
  
"Meggie!" she glanced up to see her husband, with their two year old Hannah; and Caitie Roth running simultaneously to her.  
  
*~*  
Jamie groaned in pain. He rolled over feeling the restraints of the bed. Where was he? He opened his eyes- wait no he hadn't. They were still closed. He opened them again. Then closed them.  
  
Again and again and again and again.  
  
Finally, he raged like a trapped animal. What was wrong? Where was he? He felt arms lunging for him. He carried on screaming and stretching out his arms all about, like crazed man.   
  
"Jamie it's me! It's Megan!"   
  
Finally, he seized moving. " I can't see."  
  
*~*  
  
A/n: How do u like it so far? 


	2. Darkness is My Friend

A/N: I finally updated! Sorry for the long wait. With finials and school winding down, I don't have much time to write.   
  
Between a Rock and a Hard Place  
  
Chapter 2: Darkness is My Friend  
  
*~*  
  
Blind.   
  
Jamie tried to let that sink in. That's what the doctor had said, the accident had caused a complication- damage to his eyes. He had said Jamie would never see again.   
  
Ever.  
  
Now a month since that terrible day on the road, most of Jamie's other physical wounds had healed. But he'd still have to go to a doctor and learn Braille, to still function in the world as a blind person. They told him it could and had been done, but Jamie felt like his life was over. He had not been born blind, he still knew colors and what his sister's face looked like. To have that taken away, to have the squad, and a normal life gone from him just like that was devastating. He knew he had no one else to blame but himself. He had not been hit by a drunk driver or a woman who had fallen asleep on the wheel. It was him who had been driving too fast on a rainy morning. Jamie was just glad that the other driver had not been hurt, only cuts and bruises.   
  
"Hey Jamie it's Caitie." he heard a voice enter his room. He had returned home that morning glad to be back, but everything felt so different. Megan refused to let him do anything on his own. She treated him as if he were the same age as his two year old niece Hannah. Peter, called him almost every hour and Paul worried consistently. He knew they meant well but he didn't want to be treat differently.   
  
"I know." Jamie replied. "I recognized your smell."  
  
Caitie wished he could see her smile back at him. "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing. "Jamie replied reaching out his hand to find out where she was. "I was about to watch- I mean listen to TV." she caught on and moved closer to him, he grabbed her hand.   
  
He was swimming in a endless black sea of confusion , fear, and uncertainty. If he had had a choice he would have rather been deaf . A world of silence seemed better to him then a world of darkness. Not knowing where you where or who was with you. How could he see the teacher's lessons? What job could he do? When he got older and had kids, how could he raise them? Who would want him as a husband anyway?   
  
But, maybe in that sea of darkness, Caitie could be his light.  
  
*~*  
  
Jamie sighed as he waited for his blind therapist to be ready to see him. He knew that magazines lay next to him but he could not read them or even look at the pictures. Funny, he had not been found of reading before but now that it had been taken for him, he longed for it.   
  
"James Waite?" he heard a nurse call for him. Megan took a hold of his arm and led him to the room. He smelt flowers and coffee as he stepped into the doctor's office.  
  
"Hi, Jamie. I'm Dr. McGill." she said shaking his hand. "Sit." The doctor was quick to get to business. "I know this must be very hard and new for you. But, in order for you to go back to your life, granted it will be different then your old life certainty, we have to caught you up to speed in the blind world… First things first. I saw your sister walk you in a minutes before. Here." she said handing him a cane. "It's a walking stick. So, you can gain more independence. You may also wish to get a trained seeing eye dog., though they are expensive. Once you learn Braille, you'll have to get everything written in that. Books, clothes tags for example." She told him truthfully pulling out a stylus and slate Braille writer. "Let's start with the alphabet."  
  
*~*  
A/N: What do you think? 


	3. Changing Times

Between a Rock and a Hard Place  
  
Chapter Three: Changing Times  
  
Three months later he was finally going back to school. Another thing he though he would never miss. It had been hard, not only on him but to his whole family. He knew all the "special" things he needed were expensive and not easy for two young parents like Paul and Megan to bare. Still he fell in despair.   
  
Jamie tried to walk proudly into the school, as if nothing had happened. He had gotten very capable with his cane, and could almost go anywhere with it. He had mastered the language that told him what time it was and what colors his clothes where. It was written on the books that he carried and the tests he would take. But, it couldn't tell him the expressions on people around him, the color of the bird that flew by.   
  
"Hey, Jamie! Welcome back." Val said as she hugged him, Caitie followed behind her. "We have a surprise for you." Jamie followed them unquestioning to where he knew as the gym.   
  
"There's a welcome back banner hanging on the bleachers." Tyler told him as he and Hank approached him too.  
  
"We raised money for you to get a training seeing eye dog.." someone said on a microphone. It seemed like the whole school was there. This surprised Jamie, he had friends sure, but he never thought anyone else would care.   
  
He felt some one put a leach in his hand. He felt below him and indeed there was a dog sitting before him. Eyes. He decided he'd call him. As everyone cheered and clapped for him, Caitie took his hand. "I can't believe you guy all did this." Jamie stated. He appreciated what they had done, but what he really wanted was for everything to return to normal.   
  
Normal.  
  
His doctor had warned him about that. Life would never be the same for him again. He was in a whole new ballgame. Denial was what he faced.   
  
"Well you know me I'm not much for bake sales and fundraisers but for you. I'd do anything." Caitie replied. Now, before the accident the pair had been just friends, but now they seemed like much more. He reached over, hoping to find her lips and kissed her in front of everyone.   
  
"Go Jamie!" Tyler, Hank, and Val yelled.  
  
*~*  
Jamie told Eyes to turn left into the EMS station door. He felt odd coming into a closed building with a dog, places like a mall or a supermarket he still used a cane. He hated the stares he got when he was with Eyes.   
  
"Jamie!" He heard Brooke squeal as he hugged him. "It's good to see you." He smiled at all his friends as they came up to him. He stood their wishing he could still be apart of it all. To be an EMT again. "There's someone else here."  
  
"Yeah, um that's Greg he's um…" Val said nervously.  
  
"He's taken my place."   
  
'Well, it's only till you get your sight back."  
  
"Come on we both know that's not going to happen."  
  
"Are you alright with this?" Hank asked.  
  
"Yeah it's fine." He hoped they didn't hear the lying in his voice.  
  
"I'm Greg Mitchell." the new EMT stated. Jamie went to hear where he was so he could tlak to him face ti face.  
  
'Do you see me? Your staring right at me."  
  
Jamie ignored him. "I have to go anyway. I just wanted to say hi." Jamie said as he retreated back in to the dark.  
  
*~*  
It hurt Megan to his her baby brother like this. He was in pain. He was expecting his blindness of the outside but on the inside he clearly wasn't. She missed the old Jamie. His wittiness and his music. It had been a long time since Jamie had smiled or picked up his guitar. Paul, Peter, and herself tried everything to react him but he secluded himself in his own world. Not letting anyone in. Plus everything she did seemed to be wrong.   
  
Boom!  
  
She heard from the stairs rushing to the stairs where the sound came from , think it had to be Hannah. But, instead it was Jamie he had fallen on a small toy on the stairs.   
  
"Are you alright?" she rushed over to him hovering. "Hannah! I told you to pick up your toys. Uncle Jamie can't see." she yelled at the child.  
  
"Meggie, its ok."  
  
"No, its not ok. You can't see. You could have been seriously hurt. " she said as if he need reminding that he was blind.   
  
"I know." Jamie replied harshly.  
  
'Hannah , say your sorry."  
  
"It was my fault I didn't have my cane. " Megan ignored him and made her apologized. It was a consent fight wit her now.  
*~*  
A/N: Too fast? 


	4. Get Over It Already!

Between a Rock and a Hard Place  
  
Chapter Four: Get Over It Already!  
  
(Four Months Later)  
  
Jamie took Eyes and walked to the park to think. Jamie could smell the flowers and feel the sunshine. He could tell it was a perfect day outside. He signed he knew Caitie was behind him. Megan must have told her where he was. He wanted to be alone, even from her.  
  
"Hey." she replied. He wished he could still remember what things looked like. He was beginning to forget everything. What he looked like. His family. His friends. He didn't feel like Jamie, but a stranger in his own life. He felt like he was seeping deeper and deeper into a black hole that would never let him out.   
  
"Can I see you?" he asked, his useless eyes staring at her.  
  
"See me?" Caitie asked questionably.   
  
"Yeah." Jamie placed his hands over her face, feeling what she looked like finding her image lost in his mind. He kissed her. "What did you come here for?"  
  
"I wanted to tell you I'm learning Braille."   
  
"That's great." he said not really meaning it. Something else to remind him he was freak.   
  
"What's wrong with you?!" Caitie yelled at him.  
  
"What do you mean what's wrong. You know what is wrong."  
  
"Stop pitying yourself. Your blind. Ok, so what. Are you just going to die then? You have to start living with this. Stop kidding your self."  
  
"I can't."   
  
"You have to." Caitie replied. "I don't want to lose you." She said with so much hope and pain that it hurt Jamie. He knew that she'd do anything for him.  
  
Jamie stood quiet for a very one time. She was right. "I'll try." He promised , taking the first step out of the darkness. It would take a long time to get some what "Normal" again. Jamie hoped he could move past the blindness. He looked at Caitie and smiled for what seemed like the first time in a long time.   
***  
  
  
*~*  
A/n; What do u think,. I hope it's ok I've been toying with an ending for this for a long, long time when I realized this story was taking way to long and dragging out. So or the lack of a better ending, here you have it. It's done! Now on to other stories… 


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